Cactus rescue?

Good morning folks,

Would like your thoughts on the following.

Just up the road from my house there is an enormous cactus that is growing in someone's front yard (it overhangs the footpath).
The house has recently sold and I am in a moral conundrum as to whether I should swing past and take a piece or two, the cactus is in an awkward position and I fear that once the new owners move in, the cactus will be no more.
I am not about to dig up the entire plant but rather take a piece or two just in case.

What are your thoughts?

Regards,

Walker87

while you suggest a "fear" of new owners removing this plant this could be interpreted as your way of validating the theft and vandalism of proprety.

while this is clever and shows you have an ability to think creativly for yourself it also demonstrates quite clearly to me that, at some point in the future you will most probably give more thought to your means of aquiring this plant and if by chance you did infact abduct the living body in question, then pehaps your moral etiquete may refine undesirable thoughts and feelings associated with regret.

although you may not cause the plant any significant problems... will you experiance earned satisfaction enjoying a collection of plant aquired by means of theft and hypothetical justifications for doing such...

anyway just make contact with the owners when you see them or leave them a letter introducing yourself as neighbour in the mailbox.

im sure if you approch this the right way everyone will be happy, regret and guilt free.


ps. offer to mow the lawns in return for allowing you a sample of the plant...

everyone likes hearing there lawn being mowed by someone else.

Well I certainly did not expect a response like that!

Now if you can kindly climb down from your moral high horse, I can clarify my post.

I posted this to see if anyone else had encountered a situation like this and if they could recommend a tactful approach.
There is no need to go on an ethical rampage.

I've seen the "living body in question" vandalised many times over the years I've lived in the neighbourhood by passers by, I hardly think cleanly taking a cutting would be considered vandalism or theft, by any stretch of the imagination.

The answer is simple, I have previously done this myself. Wat until the new owner moves in, go knock on the door and ask for a cutting, 99% of the time they will happy give you some or let you dig it up

Certainly some points to consider. To cut or not to cut. Me personally I would probably just take a cutting anyway. But none the less it could be great way to meet your neighbors.......

I'm not a huge neighbour person, I'm friendly but don't want them calling in for a cuppa unannounced.
Given the size of this thing I highly doubt anyone would notice a small piece missing.

if my advice were interpreted upside down, inside out and slightly back to front i would expect retaliation akin to yours.
however i was offering the best (well nearly) of what ive got.
i suggest you re read my post without assuming im trying to upset your clearly pleasant nature and derive the actual point im trying to make.
if one can ask of witch you did, in the manner you have... im suprized not to have heard "thats exactly what i was thinking".
all in all you seem like a good guy in the making and i think with time you will see this for yourself. just try not to mention that i ride horses as its not a fact, i dont like them, they make me itch and my neice once fell of one fracturing her scull and snored unconciously in horse manuere for 45 seconds before we removed her.
i once had a friend who regulary graffitied proprety. to begin with it was just random tagging and bad handwriting... that was when he was a true vandal....
now he scales fences and decorates only the most important of public property... but itds ok because he has refined his handwriting and the damage could be percieved as cosmeticaly apealing to some.

next time i give you some advice i will tone down on the advice and encourage you to have faith in yourself. you will feel much better.
ps. i rode a unicorn once. it took me to safeway to buy smokes. when i got home the smokes were nowhere to be found.

u could just steal it using a knife while no ones watching you know? no need to mention it on the internet. im full of advice.

lol same here walker. go for it. the original owners obviously didn't want it and im sure the new owners didn't buy the house for the cactus.

I'd approach the owner or leave a request note. Most people are willing to sacrifice a piece to someone who appreciates cacti more than they do. I've had many offers of similar nature when people find I'm interested in spikey babies of all varieties.

***** Post Edited by admin please stay on topic *******





i like fast automobiles... covered in deserted cacti in need of a good home.

Thanks for the responses.

Wert, perhaps I overreacted to your first post.
As for the last one, I was literally in fits (of laughter) certainly a novel approach to avoiding unexpected guests and might just have to keep that one up my sleeve, you never know when a neighbour might just get too friendly!

On another note, I went for a walk this evening, past one of my favourite houses, the owners have a spectacular collection of cacti and other oddities planted righ in their front yard.
Quiet a few specimens in there I would love to acquire a cutting or two of but they are clearly collectors and as such there will be no pilfering!
I walk past often hoping they will be out in the yard so I can start up a chat with them but they're never outside, guess they won't exactly be out there watering the garden now will they?

makrs me want to find the house and hammer a for sale sign into the lawn... just to see how clucky you get...
and maybe spy cam the owners reaction when they open the door to get the morning paper and the yards a desert, the doormat is yellow and some bloke down the way wsnts to catch up for coffee.

supergirl wrote:

I'd approach the owner or leave a request note. Most people are willing to sacrifice a piece to someone who appreciates cacti more than they do.

OTOH the new owners might consider the cactus a feature, in which case they might be amenable to a trade e.g. a small cutting for one of your surplus cacti in a pot.  It helps establish one's bona fide and it's not all one way